Chromebooks Deserve More Credit than You Might Think

It can be easy to dismiss the simple Chromebook as a limited solution, a one-trick pony of technology. However, while this may have once been true of the devices, more recent models are capable of much more than their predecessors. We’ll address a few misconceptions people have about, and against, Chromebooks.

Before we begin, it is important to point out that many of our counterpoints reference the capabilities of new, higher-end Chromebooks. Less expensive, older Chromebooks may not have some of these same capabilities - but then, as the adage says, you get what you pay for.

There Are a Lot of Things That Chromebooks Can’t Run
Once upon a time, this was true. However, the Chrome OS is quickly becoming much more capable - so much so, in fact, that one or two of their capabilities may give them the edge over other solutions. For example, while the original idea of the Chromebook was to make it capable of only running the Chrome Internet browser, these nifty devices can now run applications from Android, and some can even run Windows and Linux applications. What’s more, they can run them side-by-side in the same user session, no dual-booting required.

This has the added benefit of allowing the Chromebook to have expanded functionality through the use of these applications and additional operating systems. The fact that a Chromebook can play nice with Linux means that a Chromebook has become a viable platform for developers to leverage, and Android support gives a user access to all the photo editing applications they love to use on their phone, in a larger, easier-to-work-with device.

You Need an Internet Connection to Be Productive
Again, due to the fact that early Chromebooks were designed to exclusively utilize the Chrome browser and the cloud, this was once the case. However, more and more of the cloud services that Chromebooks leverage also offer offline modes that will simply save your work to be synced with the cloud later. There are also plenty of extensions available for free download from the Chrome Web Store that enable you to work while offline.

Chromebooks Are Cheap and Limiting
It is true that there are many Chromebooks on the market that are very budget-friendly, and that their capabilities do fall short of what has been reviewed here. On the flipside, the use of the Chrome web browser and the vast library of extensions available to augment it mean that a user has the ability to put their data to good use in more ways than ever before. As a result, browsing, communicating, and researching are all made better, to the benefit of the user.

Ironically, it can be argued that other operating systems, like Windows and macOS, are actually limited. The use of too many extensions on the Chrome browser on these platforms slows them to a crawl, while Chromebooks don’t seem to have that problem.

Of course, as some models of Chromebook have increased in capabilities, there has also been an increase in their pricing. In many ways, these new Chromebooks are similar to the typical laptop, and are priced accordingly.

Horne & Benik can help you establish if the investment into a Chromebook is the right choice for your business needs, or if there is another option that will prove more beneficial. We can do this for the rest of your technology as well. Call us at (603) 499-4400 for more details.